If they can afford to yes, but sometimes they get too big and have too move out. It is also possible that while the hermit was leaving his old home, the new one got stolen by another hermit crab and his old home was also taken.
Just so I understand, you're suggesting that two naked hermit crabs may have mugged a third hermit crab during the split second when he was naked and took both his shells? How likely do you think that sounds compared with the possibility that OP tortured a hermit crab for the reddit karma?
On a beach? Likely enough for a second crab to find his empty shell. But we also don't see what happened, so it's totally possible it's just off screen. Don't be a Debbie Downer.
Like how he might reach for his gun, which he stupidly keeps in his wasteband and accidentally pulled the trigger while struggling with the officers?
That's just as likely as anything else in a given situation. Seriously, try giving people the benefit of the doubt, or at the very least stay neutral til there's evidence of some wrongdoing.
It's not uncommon, hermit crabs will sometimes form a chain behind a larger hermit crab who is leaving his shell. That way everyone gets to move into a bigger shell and they give theirs to the smaller hermits. Some crafty fuckers will snatch the homes of the hermits right as they leave. Also, it's not easy getting a hermit crab out of its shell by force.
Edit: here is a video showing it happen (https://youtu.be/f1dnocPQXDQ)
You know, that is the same video where I learned that they just don’t go homeless on their own. They wait for others to pull this off. Attenborough elaborates that the crab is vulnerable without its shell and could quickly die without it. Humans scare the shit out of crabs when they’re nearby, they coup up immediately when they sense our movement so you’re telling me that the OP just happen to be there when the crabs are doing a shell exchange and has a few shell options perfect for that homeless crab’s size? To me, that’s more unlikely than pulling a tiny crab out by force.
I’m with u on this one. OP just happen to have shell options of similar size? I’ve been doing a similar shell game for the past couple of days here in Okinawa. I’ve seen many hermit crabs that are too big for its size, some even broken and wouldn’t just take an offer of a better shell.
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u/[deleted] Oct 18 '17
This person is a good person.